Study Reveals Kentucky Among Most Unhappy States in 2024

Kentucky has found itself at the bottom of the list of most happy states, making it one of the least happy in the country.

Happiness May Be Subjective but It Can Be Quantified

No doubt happiness is subjective, but the folks at WalletHub manage to find a way to make it quantitative. Utilizing what they call "three key dimensions," broken down into 30 different metrics. Those metrics were then graded on a 100-point scale. The higher the score, the higher the happiness.

In order to determine the happiest states in America, WalletHub compared the 50 states across three key dimensions: 1) Emotional & Physical Well-Being, 2) Work Environment and 3) Community & Environment. We evaluated those dimensions using 30 relevant metrics, which are listed below with their corresponding weights. Each metric was graded on a 100-point scale, with a score of 100 representing maximum happiness. Finally, we determined each state’s weighted average across all metrics to calculate its overall score and used the resulting scores to rank-order our sample. - WalletHub

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The Lower the Score, the Lower the Happiness

Likewise, the lower the cumulative score, the lower the happiness level of the state's residents. You may or may not be surprised to learn the most and least happiest states in U.S.

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Top of the List of Happiest States in America

Looking at all of the data, and how the numbers stacked up, WalletHub was able to create a ranking list of the "Happiest States in America." Topping the list in first, second, and third are Hawaii, Maryland, and New Jersey respectively.

What Makes a Happy State Happy?

For the number one happiest state in America, WalletHub credits good physical health, long life expectancy, and a positive economic climate. They say residents in Hawaii actually have the longest life expectancy in the country.

The Least Happy States in the Country

Unfortunately, some of states did not fair nearly as well as Hawaii when it came time to score the metrics. Louisiana, Arkansas and West Virginia take the bottom three spots, effectively making them the most unhappy states in the nation.

Where Does Kentucky Rank on the List?

Unfortunately, when we scroll to the bottom of the list, that is where we find the Bluegrass State. With a total score of 42.88 (up from 40.58 in 2023), Kentucky ranks in the 41st position out of 50, making it the 9th least happy state in America. The Commonwealth ranks 44th for emotional and physical well-being, and 46th for work environment, while scoring remarkably well for community and environment at 16th.

[Source: WalletHub]